2009 Dodge Durango Hybrid / Chrysler Aspen Hybrid

In this case, saving gas costs big bucks.

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We averaged a whopping 22.6 mpg on the 130-mile route Chrysler laid out for the media drive from Boston to Portland, Maine, although we know it wasn’t by chance that this scenic drive had oodles of fuel-economy-boosting stretches of low-speed (30 to 40 mph) roads and very little highway driving.

But, as always, there are certain sacrifices to the driving experience when piloting a hybrid. The electric steering is light and fairly numb and develops a dead spot at highway speeds. Regenerative brakes notoriously lack feel and linearity, but we found the Durango/Aspen’s to be far more acceptable than those on the Tahoe/Yukon, with a firmer pedal that’s less aggressive. We didn’t find ourselves hunting for the right amount of braking nearly as much as we did in the Tahoe.

Of course, the Chryslers’ power delivery isn’t as linear as that of a conventional powertrain, and there are some light clunks and electric motor whine at low speeds, although you have to pay close attention to notice.

Another weak point is that the Durango, introduced for 2004, is definitely starting to show its age. In the $45,000-SUV segment, the Durango/Aspen’s massive expanse of dash and glossy, hard-to-the-touch interior plastics don’t look up to snuff. The underlying structure doesn’t feel as solid as the Tahoe’s overhauled-for-2007 chassis, and body control over rough pavement is far clumsier in the Chryslers as well.

Trash Talk

Now that the joint development is done, Chrysler is singing a slightly different tune when it comes to the obvious competitors from GM. During the press presentation, officials took a few amusing jabs at the General, claiming the Durango was a “better package” than the Tahoe, citing the fact that there are “no clunky seats to remove” (which is a valid complaint that we’ve voiced before). Chrysler also claimed that the reason for not offering remote starting on the Durango/Aspen, which is standard on the Tahoe/Yukon, is that “we wanted to be green” and that the hybrids are “priced nearly $8000 below the competition.”

The Durango hybrid starts at $45,340 and the Aspen at $45,570, prices that are significantly cheaper than the $53,295 and $53,755 charged for the Tahoe and Yukon, respectively, but roughly $5000 more than a loaded example outfitted with a Hemi. However, $1800 of that outlay will likely be recouped in the form of a tax rebate. Even so, when it comes to cost we can’t help thinking that someone might consider a $31,415, four-wheel-drive Durango with the 303-hp, 4.7-liter V-8 as a potential alternative. With gas at $5 a gallon, the savings will keep the tank full for the first 42,000 miles.

As for profitability, chief engineer Feldmaier claims this program “does have the potential to make money,” depending, of course, on things such as incentives and volume. But with far fewer hybrid-specific (i.e., expensive) bits and about the same $5000 increment to the sticker price as the Tahoe and Yukon’s, it certainly seems more likely to make money than the GM utes.

Chrysler’s first hybrids hit dealers shortly. May the best three-ton economy mastodon win.